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Ice Cream… Vanilla v Vanilla Flavoured Ice Cream…

Vanilla ice cream is made from fresh milk, cream, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla that sounds straightforward to me…Doesn’t it?

Nothing could be further from the truth according to WHICH the consumer survey company when they did a product review on Vanilla Ice cream only 1 in 5, contained fresh milk, cream and vanilla…

And they named names…Asda, Tesco and Walls vanilla ice cream contain no fresh milk, cream or vanilla. Although Asda’s Extra Special Madagascan brand of vanilla ice cream does…

I know that vanilla is expensive to buy and the prices have recently increased but I am sure given the sheer volume which manufacturers have to buy that the cost would be substantially reduced… It seems to me that if you buy a more expensive ice cream that it will be made from fresh milk, cream and vanilla…

All children love ice cream and regardless of the financial situation of their parents/guardians shouldn’t they all expect to be shown the same duty of care from manufacturers…

Just saying!

Not all ice cream makers are the baddies…Hagen Das vanilla ice cream contains 39% fresh cream, condensed skimmed milk, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla extract…at what cost though?? The pots are very small and would certainly not feed a family of 4 or the portion would be small…

To get a good vanilla ice cream the cost per portion is high…

So if your ice cream is missing any of the above ingredients what are they being replaced by??

Cream and milk are replaced by partially reconstructed skimmed milk or whey protein …Whey protein is what is left over from cheese making ( on my previous post). Historically whey used to be considered as a waste product and was pumped into rivers and streams in the US but because it prevented sunlight and oxygen reaching the water it led to increased amounts of algae growing…A hazard to the eco-system meant that the government banned this practice. Hence it was used as a cheap filler for ice cream in dairy ice cream it counts towards the dairy protein percentage required and is also used in Protein Drinks and other health products.

Is whey safe?

Whey protein is considered a complete protein as it contains all 9 essential amino acids. It is low in lactose content. … Possible dangers include nausea and headaches, but at moderate doses, whey protein is not considered dangerous.

Moderate doses and not considered dangerous that all rings alarm bells for me…So many products have been deemed to be safe in the past and now they have been proved the opposite…

Vanilla is often replaced by ” general flavouring” so if it doesn’t state natural flavouring then it will most likely be vanillin which is a synthetic flavouring.

What is vanillin and what is it made from?

Vanillin is a vanilla extract alternative made from wood pulp. It is commonly used to reduce production costs. And, unlike real vanilla extract which is produced from real vanilla beans, vanillin is synthetic and may be produced using petrochemicals and byproducts from the paper industry. That puts me off straight away and we are eating that and feeding that to our children.

It sounds like, No it is a cheap and unhealthy alternative to real vanilla …

Other now that always sets my alarm bells ringing and I put it back on the shelf. What is classed as ” other” vegetable fats i.e palm oil, palm kernel oil or coconut oil all of these replace cream as they are cheaper but still give the ice cream a smooth, creamy texture.

To me, it looks like we should check the labels but work on the premise that the more expensive the ice cream the healthier it may be and ice creams at the budget end of the scale should probably be avoided.

The only way as a consumer and the fact that we have concerns for our families health is not buy these products the manufacturers and governments do not seem to give a jot about the health of our children so we have to do that and make ice cream a treat or make our own and then we can be sure that what our children are eating does not contain any nasties and preservatives which could be detrimental to their health.

The above link is for a basic recipe without using an ice cream maker to which you can add other flavours i.e fruit purees.

If you are lucky enough to have an ice cream maker then this beautiful vanilla, ginger and coconut milk ice cream is a must.

The thing is that ice cream is only a small part of the diet if everything you buy is mass produced then the number of chemicals and harmful substances going into our families bodies is horrendous and it is no wonder that cancers and chronic illnesses many of which are preventable in part or completely could be avoided are on the increase and it is no wonder.

We cannot rely on others to protect our families health that is patently obvious WE need to be vigilant and protect our children…

Cooking from scratch is something I have always done as my mother did and I, in turn, have made my children food aware by teaching them that food made from scratch is safer it is also cheaper and more nourishing …We need to tackle sneaky, money grabbing manufacturers and corporations by not buying their products… we are in charge of our families health and we need to protect them.

In case you missed my previous posts on what is really in the food you eat then here are the links:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

20 thoughts on “Ice Cream… Vanilla v Vanilla Flavoured Ice Cream…”

Foh my goodness Carol I am gob smacked as we say in England. A fabulous post get over to SIPB fb book group and post it on our Pinterest day lets shout about this. How dare they ! Affronted from England *sulks*

I know…I thought I couldn’t be surprised by manufacturers tricks but this is going to be a regular Monday feature from me …I always wanted to be a detective…lol…I have always been suspicious of manufactured foods but even more so now it is just about profit and no duty of care whatsoever..It makes me mad …But yes I will, Ellen…Gelato seems to be a better option although I haven’t investigated it properly but it looks far better and healthier…

Thank you for this post. I haven’t been eating much ice cream lately as my sweetheart was recently diagnosed with mild diabetes — so we are avoiding most sugary treats. I’ve always been a fan of Ben & Jerry’s (even though it is now part of a huge food conglomerate, the founders are still very politically active in liberal causes.) — so that brand is what we would consume if we were to consume any… I also attempt to be aware of the larger tendencies/ethics of a particular company. Nestle, for example, has forever damaged its reputation in my eyes due to their heinous marketing of baby formula around the globe — so I would never buy their ice cream even if some of it does include natural, recognizable ingredients.

Sorry to hear that about your sweetheart, Will can it be controlled by diet? I am with you on the Nestle front I haven’t bought any of their products for years… I don’t like their company ethics and total disregard for the planet …It is all about profit for them… Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is generally ok no alarm bells there at the moment always good to check the labels now and again of your favourite brands just in case … Thank you for contributing to the conversation…Enjoy your week 🙂

Reblogged this on Smorgasbord Blog Magazine and commented:
Food writer Carol Taylor shares some ingredients you might not think would make it passed the food regulation bodies, let alone any self-respecting manufacturer.. A case in point is vanilla ice-cream which is probably in 90% of our freezers.. But not all vanilla ice-cream is created equal..and some does not even contain real vanilla! Let alone milk and cream… Find out more and be willing to pay that little bit extra to make sure your ice-cream is the real deal. #recommended

I know..gone are the days when you can just wander around the store picking up a few bits without having to worry what is in them…But there are still a few good ones out there lets hope they don’t start cuting corners… Have a good week 🙂

Hi Carol! You had to have known that I would comment on THIS post?! lol Ice cream is my life. You know that I make my own ice cream, notice how I used the Royal “I make it”! Hee hee. I do also buy some of my ice cream, you know, to give my poor Aunt Paul a break. But, I’m a picky girl when it comes to ice cream. So, here in Canada we have several brands that I can endorse. We have Häagen-Dazs of course and Ben and Jerry’s but those are a little small. So best bang for your buck, especially if you wait for sales which I do are Breyer’s Premium Ice Cream, PC Cream First, PC Black Label (these are small like Häagen-Dazs though), Nestlé Real Dairy and lastly maybe Chapman’s Premium. All of them are pretty good considering that they are mass produced. xo

Hi Lisa….Lol of course did…The Ice cream Queen herself….I think it is sacriledge what some manufacurers do to our ice cream…But bless them they have to keep building their coffers don’t they… I would love to spoonfeed them some of their own food…I love ice cream as well…One day I will treat my self to an ice cream maker… Caramel, fudge and chilli being among my favourite ingrdients…I hope today is a good day for you …:) xx